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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: pitcher · game · fork · row · cue · toast · kick · wave

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. cue — for pool
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. row — to paddle
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. kick — in football
  7. cue — a hint
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. row — a line
  10. toast — bread
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. cue — a signal
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. game — a match
  23. fork — in a road
  24. game — wild animals

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com